Over the next century, the nation's capital could sit as much as half-a-foot lower than it is now, new research suggests.
According to the Burlington Free Press, researchers at the University of Vermont (UVM) and other institutions project Washington D.C. sinking up to six inches over the next 100 years. The Geological Society of America published the new study.
"It's a bit like sitting on one side of a water bed filled with very thick honey, then the other side goes up," study lead author Ben DeJong, a doctoral student at UVM's Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, said in a press release. "But when you stand, the bulge comes down again."
The study authors said in their research the District of Columbia faces an increased risk of flooding as the city gets lower. It can also serve as a warning for climate change, which is known to bring about severe storms more often.
"It's ironic that the nation's capital-the place least responsive to the dangers of climate change-is sitting in one of the worst spots it could be in terms of this land subsidence," study senior author Paul Bierman, a geologist at UVM, said in the release. "Will the Congress just sit there with their feet getting ever wetter? What's next, forebulge denial?"
A recent study has also raised concerns for coastal cities that are more vulnerable to storm surges and compound flooding, which occurs when saltwater from the ocean mixes with freshwater from inland lakes.
"Right now is the time to start making preparations," DeJong said. "Six extra inches of water really matters in this part of the world."
